Breaking Wind

Cracking open the Wind

Another cheap sub-notebook has come our way and despite doing the obligatory review already, we were keen to see what's inside MSI's Wind.

Do possible modding opportunities await, or is the Wind stuffed more fully than a journalist at a buffet? If you want to upgrade the memory or hard drive - or whatever - then check out the article first. We void warranties so you don't have to.

First off, the battery comes out and is put to one side (this also stops you accidentally turning it on during this dismantle process).

However, unlike the Eee PC 900 disassembly, there are no screws to undo underneath it. Elsewhere there are nine screws to take out, including underneath the usual "void your warranty" sticker.

If you're really fretting about your warranty though then don't be too alarmed - since completely unscrewing it and opening it up is the only way to upgrade the memory, MSI requests that; "if a customer wants to upgrade the memory in their Wind that they register it with the MSI Notebook support team and MSI will send them a special warranty sticker to place back on their Wind". Addendum 11th July 2008: Please be aware this varies between region (we weren't at the time of writing) so while this service is provided for UK customers, some others have found it isn't in theirs - be warned!

A few screws later and the bottom comes off easily. See how we said that completely without innunendo? Compared to taking apart the Eee PC 900 the MSI Wind is incredibly simple to get into.

Inside, the layout and design is far more elegant than the Eee PC. The PCBs are intricately built around each of the components and everything is folded around everything else like an origami PCB.

It's time for us to put our feet up, loosen our belts, let out our guts and gorge on cheesecake. We've got seven of the best and worst cheesecakes from Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Morrisons - now it's time for a taste!

MSI releases Wind and we take a sniff to see if this sub-notebook can possibly stand up to Asus' EeePC line? With svelte pearly curves and a decent sized keyboard, MSI may have just parted it's cheeks and unleashed the first real Eee-Killer...

The netbook revolution continues to motor forwards, and with the launch of Intel's new tiny Atom processor just a short while away - we take a quick first look to see what MSI's new 10-inch Wind is like to use. If you have an Eee already - you might want to look away now.